The longest bridge to NOLA

We pulled back into the Duck Commander at 9 to browse the gift shop.

By 9:30 we were NOLA bound.

We didn’t realize we had the added bonus of driving through Mississippi on our journey. The ‘highway’ the GPS chose was a two way road thick with woods on either side; the kind of woods from The Blair Witch Project.

I figured McDonalds would be a quick lunch break from driving, but as it took over 20 minutes for everyone to place their order, we actually left a full hour after we arrived!!

Another fantastic surprise was our drive over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the world’s longest continuous bridge over water. it was surreal to pass by mile upon mile of lush swampland. Almost eerie in its beauty. I found it to be a nearly emotional experience; today was my favourite drive so far.

Soon after we hit New Orleans, the GPS took us through some rough, rough looking areas just before we arrived at the accommodation I had booked us in Algiers Point. I choked back hysterical laughter, remembering Soho Hotel.

But then we drove into our street, tidy and quiet, with our house quaint and quintessentially New Orleans complete with a porch and a swing!.

I have been in phone and email contact with the host Joey for a couple of days as I think he is a bit of a stresser. From his voice, I imagined him as plus-size, rustling around in a glamorous turban and heavy makeup with false eyelashes.

The actual Joey was diminutive, he looked like like a farmer, only one of his jean legs rolled up, a faded baseball cap and sparse pale whiskers.

The living area was a little confronting as it is just full of beds. But we are only here to sleep. We want to be out exploring.

Joey left us a fully stocked fridge. What a thoughtful host.

We rested briefly and then Ubered in to the French Quarter for our History and Ghost-Buster Tour.

It was quite cool out, and we gathered together outside Pirate Alley Cafe shivering a little. Our guide sat a ways off from us, her appearance gothic, her pale lilac lipstick almost glowing in the dark. She looked totally bored until the moment her job began; and then-voila! She opened up like a flower. Her rich deep voice, throaty from smoking, spoke out history and ghost stories with a hint of sarcastic self-deprecating humour.